Commanders confront 2026 question marks following injury-riddled season

It’s easy for Commanders fans to pin the team’s disastrous 5-12 campaign on injuries. But any solution to what ails Washington will require more than ice packs and bandages.

More than 30 Commanders missed games due to injury, illness or suspension this season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels started just seven games after his Rookie of the Year campaign, while key contributors like pass-catcher Terry McLaurin and promising rookie cornerback Trey Amos missed broad chunks of the year.

In total, 31 players missed a combined 158 games with a variety of injuries. A torn Achilles tendon knocked out running back Austin Ekeler for the season in Week 2. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong tore his ACL five weeks later. 

Washington’s players wouldn’t attribute all their struggles to the injury bug, though. Safety Quan Martin struggled in a secondary that lost Amos, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and versatile safety Will Harris for extended periods. 

“In this league, stuff’s going to happen. Guys go down. You’re going to lose guys and it’s just up to the ones behind them to step up,” Martin said. “The results may not be what we wanted, but a lot of guys really stepped up.”

On offense, Daniels — along with backups Marcus Mariota and Josh Johnson — had to familiarize themselves with a rotating cast of pass-catchers. Journeyman Chris Moore found himself featured in the offense alongside former first-rounder Treylon Burks, who joined the team midseason after the Tennessee Titans released him.

No receiver played every game for Washington this year. 

“Injuries come with every team, but a lot of our core guys went down,” said Deebo Samuel, a pending free agent who led the Commanders in receiving yards. “With those things happening, it’s kind of hard to fight back.”

Washington never looked like the team that won a pair of playoff games last season. The defense struggled to stop the run and failed to force turnovers. The offense, even when Daniels was on the field, lacked the explosiveness that defined their initial successes. 

“It’s one year. Don’t give up on us,” Daniels said, addressing disappointed fans. “Come back; we’ll need your support next year. We’ll get things rolling.”

The Commanders’ leaders are still performing their postseason autopsy to determine what went wrong. 

“It’s not just the injuries. It’s not just this, it’s not just that,” general manager Adam Peters said. “But, going through a season like this — which is terrible and not even close to our standard — there’s a lot of lessons.”

Time might heal the Commanders’ wounds, but the roster isn’t ready hit the ground running in 2026. Washington has 30 pending free agents, the most in the NFL. 

Samuel, Washington’s leading receiver by virtue of being the only pass-catcher to miss fewer than two games, appears unlikely to return to the District. He received signed jerseys from linebacker Bobby Wagner and cornerback Mike Sainristil. 

“Don’t lose that hunger,” Sainristil wrote in the inscription.

“Nothing that I can control,” Samuel said when asked about his future with the Commanders. “We’ll see how it goes. Not too much I can do. At the end of the day, this is a business.”

Similar question marks surround starting cornerback Jonathan Jones and edge rusher Jacob Martin, pending free agents who became key contributors when injuries decimated Washington’s depth chart. Burks and starting guard Chris Paul are also expected to hit the open market in the spring. 

Those players will likely be on an NFL roster next season, even if it isn’t in Washington. 

The same can’t be assumed for veterans Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz and Von Miller. Retirement rumors have encircled the first two. All three will have to make some kind of decision — they’ll be free agents in March. 

Ertz hasn’t spoken with reporters since tearing his ACL against the Minnesota Vikings in December, while Wagner left the facility before media members arrived on Monday. 

“I have not thought about anything outside of today,” Wagner said on Sunday following the win over the Philadelphia Eagles. 

But Miller said he’s ready to return for another season — if the Commanders will have him. 

“I want to be here, but I’m not in a position to start making demands,” said Miller, who turns 37 in March. “I would love to run that back.”

Which coaches could work with Miller and the rest of the Commanders next season is an open question. Washington is expected to welcome a new defensive coordinator after demoting Joe Whitt Jr. from the role midseason. 

Peters and coach Dan Quinn might need to find a new offensive play-caller, too. 

Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury may not return for a third season. The former coach of the Arizona Cardinals has become a popular name on the head coaching circuit. 

The hunt for new coaches — including a potential new quarterback coach to replace Tavita Pritchard, who is now the head coach at Stanford — is now underway. 

“It’s the fit, it’s the talent. What do they bring that’s unique?” said Quinn, who Peters said is responsible for the coaching hires. “But to communicate, collaborate, has a unique skill set to teach: that’s the No. 1, top of the pile.”

The Commanders players insist that this year’s struggles were a fluke — the 2024 postseason run is more reflective of what they’ll look like in 2026. They’re ready to put the disappointing year behind them, but not before using it as offseason fuel.

“Got a lot of guys around here with a sour taste in their mouth. When you’re backed up against the wall, you’ve got to come up off that,” defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw said. “That’s one thing I know and that’s one thing I believe in this locker room.”